Remote-sensing laser technology wins $2.6 million contract to detect vehicle-borne explosives
NewsOctober 26, 2021
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. Rugged-laser supplier Block MEMS has won a $2.6 million contract in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate's drive to detect vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs).
The focus of the program is to detect vehicles containing VBIEDs -- company officials say that the Block MEMS semiconductor-based laser technology can detect trace explosives at a standoff distance of up to five meters -- before they enter stadiums, parking structures, and other "soft targets."
The program builds on Block's next-generation quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology, originally funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).
